Hybrid class
Hybrid classes are classes which can fill more than one of the core PvE roles: tank, healer, or damage dealer (DPS). Realistically, no character can tank, heal, and dps at the same time, but hybrids are frequently flexible enough to serve in one role or another (no matter what spec they have) if they have collected the gear required to serve that function. ALL classes have at lease one method of fulfilling the DPS role, non-hybrid classes are sometime referred to as “Dedicated DPS” classes. __TOC__ Definition of a hybrid There are different views on how many possible functions are needed to consider a class a "hybrid". The most limited definition here would be any class that can fill any of the three roles, given the correct talent spec and/or gear. This definition would only consider , and as hybrids. Blizzard consider hybrids to be any class that has two or more functions that they can spec for. If the definition is widened in this manner then , , , and are added to the list of hybrids. 3-way hybrids These classes are considered the truest "hybrids", as each of them can cover the three roles of tanking, damage, and healing. Druid The is a hybrid of a tank, healer, and DPS. Druids are the only class with four distinct play styles because they can DPS both melee (in Cat form) and ranged spells (enhanced by Moonkin form). ;Advantages * Good innate healing abilities, and often quite effective even when not restoration specced. Feral druids inherently have an expanded mana pool but no mana regeneration enhancements. Balance druids have an expanded mana pool and enhancements to both damage and healing, but less mana regeneration than a restoration druid. * Shapeshift ability allows druid to serve as a tank (Bear/Dire Bear form) and increases survivability if drawing aggro by accident, can scout (Cat form), and will render a druid immune to . The act of shifting will also remove any host of root and snare effects from the character. * Tree of Life Form likely has the most mana efficient heals in the game, and is specifically geared to raid healing. * Tank abilities viable for raids, optimal for single targets; sub-optimal for a very large number of targets. * High-level talents in each tree provide a raid healing or DPS aura. * is the only resurrect which can be cast in combat. ;Disadvantages * Lightly armored in caster gear, just a little tougher than a cloth wearer in humanoid form. However, combined with or may provide enough damage mitigation (and time) for a main tank to re-acquire a mob. If you are in PvP combat, this same switch will often cause players (especially melee dps) to switch targets out of frustration with the greatly increased armor and hit points. * Druid crowd control is generally weak. Entangling roots affects all types of enemy, but does not prevent enemies from attacking with ranged abilities. is only usable on beasts and dragonkin. is almost universally effective but only lasts a short time. Monk The is a hybrid of a tank, healer, and DPS. ;Advantages ;Disadvantages Paladin The is often incorrectly thought of as a hybrid of a warrior and a priest, but actually a paladin's healing style differs greatly from a priest, and their tanking style from a warrior. Paladin tanks rely on magical Holy damage as the primary source of threat, and functions by the threat "multiplier" of rather than added threat effects like . A paladin heals by spamming efficient direct heals, and not by using HoTs or group heals. ;Advantages * Armored in plate, paladins can take a lot of damage, and are widely regarded as the single hardest class to kill. * Long-lasting, efficient single-target healers. * Wide variety of important blessings for all classes. * Several auras with various beneficial effects for the party. * One of 3 classes capable of allowing quick recovery from a wipe with their (the other being warlocks and shaman). * Able to use and to protect themselves from incoming damage or cast to protect other players from physical damage. ;Disadvantages * Very little in the way of ranged attacks. * Have relatively few protection against casters, especially those that can silence or use Mana Burn. 2-way hybrids Five classes, , , , , and , can perform two of the three roles in instance group with the right gear and spec. Shaman The is a hybrid of healer, melee and ranged damage dealer. They can also tank at early levels, but not very effectively. ;Advantages * A wide variety of totems can be used to buff party members and debuff opponents * Ability to heal, resurrect and self-resurrect makes them very useful to a party. * Powerful, instant-cast direct damage Shock spells with secondary effects (movement speed decrease, damage over time, and attack speed decrease) * Only class capable of solo-recovering a raid via Reincarnation, albeit only once per hour. * Arguably, one of the best multi-target healing spells in the game, . ;Disadvantages * Jack-of-all-trades, but frequently overshadowed by other classes in "pure" roles. * Not as Mana efficient as non hybrids. Priest The has the ability to spec and gear for flexible healing through the Holy tree; priests can also spec into DPS through the shadow tree. The Discipline tree, while focused on healing, offers some bonuses to damage dealing abilities as well, and many talents in this tree will encourage the priest to do damage (mainly with ) to incease their healing and even passively heal. ;Advantages *The only class with two distinct healing specs, the priest is a good healer for just about any situation. *Shadow priests provide good DPS, as well as passive healing with the talent. *A wide variety of utility and defensive spells, including , , , help party survivability and effectiveness. *Several escape and aggro lowering abilities, , , though psychic scream is not very useful in instances. ;Disadvantages *Cloth armor and no pets leave priests more easily damaged than other hybrid classes, though they do have defensive abilities such as and . *In (necessary for priest to reach their true DPS potential), has no healing aside from . Warrior The can spec into tanking mostly through the Protection tree or into DPS through the Arms and Fury trees. ;Advantages *Can tank well in most encounters, and arguably are the best off-spec tank. *Have numerous life-saving abilities when tanking. *Good countering abilities against fear. ;Disadvantages *Highly gear dependent in order to have good performance. *No effective ranged attack. (Though they have several abilities to help them get in range of the enemy.) *Vulnerable to snare effects. Death knight The can tank or DPS. Death knights spec for tanking by picking specific talents in their tree of choice, and viable tank specs exist in all three of the death knight talent trees. See also *Dual Talent Specialization External links ;Commentary Nov 29th 2013 at 12:00PM}} Category:Classes Category:Gameplay